Dead Is Just a FoxTrap
by NinjaNakkiOfCabin11
Summary: Rose thought that she could finally settle down, maybe even with Nicholas. With the Scourge put to rest, maybe she would finally have peace of mind. But suddenly, the real reason why her dad was kidnapped is discovered, and her life changes. Forever.
1. The Kitchen

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic, but I'm certainly going to do more, especially on The Dead Is section! Anyway, this is all in Rose's P.O.V. because…In my mind, I have a story set up, at least, a version of what I pretend is true :P Anyway, without further ado, I present: Chapter one!**

**Disclaimer: I Don't own The Dead Is Series, Mar-Mar does. : ( stop rubbing it in.**

CHAPTER 1:

The night my life turned upside down started when I walked in my door. My mother, Mr. Bone, my boyfriend Nicolas, Mrs. Wilder, my dad, and a few others from the council were sitting in my kitchen, all looking troubled and disturbed.

I threw my bag in the corner of the living room, followed by my sisters, Daisy and Poppy. We all filed into the kitchen, grabbed a soda from the fridge, and plopped down in various places. You see, the council was made up of Nightshade's founding families, which were all paranormal creatures. Daisy and my boyfriends were Werewolves, and Poppy's beau was a vampire, a grandson of Dracula, too. My sisters and I were physic like our mom, but our dad was a norm, or normal. Anyway, the group in our kitchen was looking as unnerved as when the Scourge was up and running. The Scourge was an anti-paranormal group, and had even kidnapped our dad and held him captive for five years or so.

"So….what's up?" Daisy asked, cracking open her coke and taking a timid sip.

All eyes turned towards our parents. My mom cleared her throat, and said "We will tell you at the emergency council meeting later tonight. For now, our visitors should probably leave." She gave a pointed look. The group dispersed, and Nicholas gave me a kiss on the cheek on the way out of the door. "See you later." He said. My sisters and I retreated upstairs to wonder what was wrong.

**So sorry it's short, my mom is mad write now…so I gotta go. It'll be longer next time, I swear! Now, press the magical blue review button at the bottom of your screen!**

**Read on and Rock out,**

**NinjaNakkiOfCabin11**


	2. Rafe

**Geez, I didn't realize the last post was **_**that **_**short! So here is another one, just to make it up to you =) BTW, this book has Dead is Not an Option spoilers.**

**No, I do not own the Dead Is yes, this idea/plot is all mine! Mwahahahaha!**

CHAPTER 2:

Time crawled by as I waited for the meeting to start. I was just finishing up counting all of the polka dots on Poppy's blouse I borrowed for my date with Nicholas next week when I heard a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in!" I called out. My littlest sister, Daisy, peeked in. She had just started her freshman year at UC Nightshade, where Poppy and I went to college. Daisy walked over and sat down in front of me.

"What do you think the meeting is about?" Daisy asked curiously. "I mean, it was so weird, you'd think they were talking about us." Suddenly, her eyes widened. "They were, weren't they!"

I sighed. Sometimes Daisy was a little too curious, in my opinion. "So what is they were?" I asked, feeling irritated.

"What if…it was bad." My sister mumbled. We sat there in silence, thinking our own thoughts in our own little worlds. I guess a long time came and passed, because my mom knocked on the door and said "Meeting is at Mort's in 30 minuets." We sat in silence and listened as my mom walked away. A few minuets later, I heard a car start up and drive away.

"Well, I better freshen up." Daisy said blandly, getting to her feet. "Meet ya in the car." She slipped out the door.

I got up and decided to where Poppy's blouse tonight. I slipped it on and left my dark wash jeans on. I slipped on a pair of black flats and put a small necklace on. It was the necklace Nicholas gave me when we got back together. It was a plain sliver chain (fake of course) with a small red rose pendant. I gathered my hair up into a high ponytail and left my room. I pounded on Daisy's and Poppy's doors, to make sure they were all done. When no reply came, I flicked off the lights and made my way to our bright car in the parking lot.

When I stepped out of the car outside the mortuary, I swear you could cut the tension with a butter knife. Something big was going on, I could feel it. I gently reached out with my mind, trying to pick up a hint of what was wrong. All I got was a jumbled mess and _kidnap, daughters, _and_ news. _I sighed and stopped probing. I locked the car and went inside.

"Hey, babe." I turned around to see Daisy's boyfriend, Ryan, slip an arm around her waist. They shared a quick kiss and went into the main room, where the meeting would be held. I smiled. I liked to see my little sister so happy.

"Whatcha smiling about?" Nicholas smiled, wrapping and arm around my shoulder.

"Hey." I gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled and pulled away, taking my hands in his. "So, what's this meeting about?" I asked. His smiled wavered a little. My smile was gone in a flash. "Nothing." He lied. I pulled my hands away and went inside. A little cold, I know. But lately I was temperamental and I was in no mood. I sat in the middle of the front row, next to Daisy. Nicholas came in a moment later and sat next to me on my other side. Eventually Poppy came in, but instead of sitting next to us, she walked to the back and sat next to her vampire boyfriend, Liam. I turned around and gave him a smile and a wave, which he returned. I turned back around as Mr. Bone, Nicholas' dad, pounded on a podium.

"This meeting is now in session." He said. "And we have to major points to discuss. Would the Giordano family please rise and be seated over here?" He asked, gesturing to a row of five empty seats next to him. Daisy and I exchanged a wary look, but did as he asked.

"Excellent." He said. "Now we can properly start. We have made a recent discovery. You all know Rafe Giordano, Clove Giordano's husband." He said. Daisy, Poppy, and I went into fits of silent laughter at our mother's name. She shoot us a look and we straightened up immediately. "Rafe was captured by the Scourge and held for nearly five and a half years. We came to the conclusion that he was captured for his research on the paranormal community. But…..recent research may prove that….is not so." My sister's faces were a mask of confusion, and I'm sure mine was as well.

"We believe Rafe was abducted by the Scourge not because he studied and lived among paranormals, but because he is one himself."

**Ohhh! Cliffy!**

**Till next time,**

**Read on and Rock out-**

**NinjaNakkiOfCabin11**


	3. Shift

**A/N: Hey again! Thanks to my reviewer (yes, only one.=( ) This chapter is supposed to be longer, but I can't really tell because my computer is really stupid. :/ Anyway, chapter 3!**

**Own the Dead Is series, I do not.**

CHAPTER 3:

A collective gasp came from the crowd of paranormals who didn't know about the discovery.

"I have a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling." Daisy mumbled to Poppy and I. I nodded in agreement, but Poppy at there, rigid.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense, Mon! What kind of paranormal is he?" A Jamaican vampire shouted from the back. A ripple of agreement came from the crowd.

"Quiet, quiet!" Mr. Bone demanded, pounding on the podium. He waited until everyone was settled before continuing. "We are not sure, but out paranormal doctor from San Carlos took a blood test. The results should appear anytime now."

Just then, a short, old woman hobbled into the room. All heads turned towards her as she made her way through the crowd up to Mr. Bone. "Mort." She croaked.

"Bessie." He acknowledged.

"The results are in." She continued, as if he hadn't spoken. I realized she had a small scroll clutched tightly in her wrinkled hands. Mr. Bone quickly reached for it, clearly eager to see for himself. With amazing reflexes, she moved it out of his reached and bopped him on the head. "No! Bad!" She scolded.

Sighing, Bone sat back, ignoring the snickers coming from the crowd. Bessie waddled next to the podium and turned around, facing the crowd. She cleared her throat, and opened the scroll.

"Rafe L. Giordano. Blood type O. Special blood type, S." She finished, rolling the scroll up again. She arched an eyebrow, and inspected the crowd, waiting for a reaction. She got none.

"What the heck is a Special blood type? What's S?" Poppy whispered, speaking for the first time.

"I don't know." I replied. "Out of every science book I've ever read, I've never heard of either." I was beyond confused.

Bessie sighed. "Rafe is a shifter, you nit-wits." With that, Bessie turned on her heel and marched out the door.

"Jeez. She's a charmer." I muttered. Poppy nodded slightly in agreement, but I caught Daisy looking after Bessie with admiration in her eyes.

All the shifters hollered or shouted their approval, but I noticed the vamps weren't looking to happy.

"Well, this is nice and all, but what, exactly, does this have to do with us?" Poppy inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Mr. Bone sighed. "Quiet, quiet!" He demanded. "Would all of you just settle down?"

When the crowd was settle, Bone adopted a serious expression. "So. Now you know. Rafe is a shifter. There. But, there is something else. You see, we all know that the shifting gene isn't exactly recessive. It's dominant. Meaning if a shifter has children, it is highly likely that the shifting gene will be passed down from adult to offspring." Mr. Bone informed us.

Because my mind was still processing the fact that my dad was a shifter, I didn't notice the look Bone gave Daisy, Poppy, and I. I didn't notice my mom and dad were looking at us too. I didn't notice my sisters stiffening beside me, or the fact that _all _eyes were on us. Then suddenly, the light dawned.

"No way." I murmured. I glanced at my siblings. Poppy was squirming in her seat, looking rather uncomfortable under all the attention, which is rare. Daisy was staring at a suspicious-looking red stain on the floor, pretending to be extremely interested in it.

"In simpler words, because Rafe is a shifter, it's highly likely that Rose, Poppy, and Daisy are shifters as well." Bone concluded.

I couldn't help myself. I glanced at Liam, who looked like his world was falling apart. I looked away, feeling sorry for him. Then a thought hit me. _Highly likely. Not 100%_.

I looked up at Bone. "Highly likely. Not certain." I said smugly. I smiled up at him.

He sighed (He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.) "Yes, not certain. But almost certain."

_Perk up, _I thought to Poppy. _Not for certain._ Poppy looked at me instantly and shot me a withering look. I shrank back and looked away. Poppy turned away from me towards Daisy, and whispered something to her. Daisy sat up a little straighter.

_What did you say to her?_ She demanded, sending me a look. I rolled my eyes.

_Nothing. Forget about it._ I replied, turning away. I mentally blocked her out of my mind. I looked up at Mr. Bone.

"Well, say or do something other than stare at us, Mr. Bone." I heard Poppy say.

"Poppy Yvette!" My mom hissed.

"What?" Poppy asked, getting to her feet. "We're not aliens. Quit gawking."

Daisy reached up and tugged on the back of Poppy's shirt, pulling her back into her seat. Poppy got this way when she was angry. It was best just to not mess with her for a bit, and she'll come around.

I looked around the room for a safe place to stare at. I finally settled on Nicholas' eyes. He smiled at me, and I attempted a half-hearted one back. We spent the rest of the meeting thinking to ourselves and staring into each other's eyes.

DEAD IS JUST A FOX-TRAP*DEAD IS JUST A FOX-TRAP*DEAD IS JUST A FOX

At the end of the meeting after everyone was dismissed, Bone pulled my family aside. He held open the door to the tranquility room. "Only significant others allowed." He announced to the gathering group of paranormals trying to get in.

Daisy reached out and grabbed Ryan's hand, pulling him into the room. I gave a nod and a wave to Nicholas, implying he could come in. Poppy searched for Liam, but he wasn't there.

Mr. Bone closed the door and locked it. "Rafe, Clove, Ryan, Nicholas. Please sit over here." He gestured to a giant, overstuffed sofa sitting in the corner of the room. "Daisy, Rose, Poppy, please come over here." He pointed to three chairs in a row behind him. We sat.

"What are we doing?" Daisy inquired.

"We're seeing if you can shift." Bone replied.

**Well, that certainly is the longest chapter yet. Watch, I'll post it and it will be tiny. =P Okay, my newly decided update date is every Wednesday, if not sooner. I also did not mean to offend any Jamaicans. I made the vamp that way because it's cool=). Anyway, remember to review, review, and review! I heart you!**

**-Read On and Rock Out,**

**NinjaNakkiOfCabin11**


	4. Poppy

**A/N: Hey people of planet Earth! Well…I guess now I have more than one review(er)! Special thanks to **_**yana**_**, **_**HonoraryMarauder, amisstarrynight**_**, and **_**Midnight Fearie**_** for the reviews! Anyway, for those who wanted to know, you can get Dead Is Not an Option at Barnes and Noble, and most places books are sold in bounties! Well, on with the story-**

**I don't own D.I…**

CHAPTER FOUR:

"Great, another thing I can epically fail at." I barely heard my littlest sister utter.

"Okay, guys, who wants to go first?" Bone asked, rubbing his hands together and surveying my sisters and I.

Seconds ticked by.

"Um, why don't you go first, dad." I offered in attempt to break the silence. Dad looked around nervously. I knew he'd back out soon if I didn't have support. I nudged Daisy. Hard.

"Ow!" She threw me a look, rubbing her arm. "Yeah. Go Dad." She said flatly, getting my message.

Poppy stayed silent.

"Um…well, yeah...I guess…okay. Fine. I'll go first." My dad stuttered nervously. Bone motioned for my dad to join him in the middle of the room.

"Okay, Rafe. I want you to stand here, in the middle of the room. Think of something that makes you angry. Very angry, in fact." Bone backed up to where me and my sisters sat. Dad did as he was instructed and began to think.

It didn't take to long.

Dad looked angry. I could only imagine what he was possibly thinking of. Suddenly, brown coarse brown hair sprouted all over his body, and small-ish yellow-y fangs protruded from his mouth. He tripled in size (and I imagine weight), standing on two giant feet. Long black nails extended from his toes and from the ends of the paws, which his hands turned into.

Standing where my father was moments ago, was a giant brown bear.

Large yellow eyes scanned the room. My mother cried out in surprise. Daisy just stared. Poppy closed her eyes to escape his image.

I poked into Poppy's mind for a minute. All I got was: _No. Can't be happening._

It didn't take a genius to figure what couldn't be happening. I stopped poking around my sisters thoughts, feeling sorry for her. If any of us read Twilight, Poppy would definitely be Team Edward, just for the fact that he's a vampire, like her boyfriend, Liam. Daisy and I, however, would be Team Jacob, just for the werewolves.

Nicholas locked eyes with me. His brown-eyed gaze urged me on. He wanted me to be a shifter like him, I knew. I wanted that, too. It would make things _so _much easier.

I glanced back to see my dad standing in the middle of the room, instead of a bear. He shuffled back towards mom. She made a sound in the back of her throat and scooted over so he could sit next to her.

"Good, good. Now, next." Bone said with a smile. Again, he turned towards me and my sisters.

We exchanged a look. None of us wanted to go.

"Look, um, well, why don't we call it a night, and let the girls shift on their own time." My mom offered.

Bone gave a curt nod. "Alright, that sounds fine by me. But you have to _try_, girls." He said seriously to me and my sisters.

"Kay."

"Fine."

"Whatever."- our responses.

He gave a nod and we were dismissed.

"What are you gonna do?" Nicholas asked me as we made our way to my car. His arm was slung over my shoulder as he kissed my neck.

I sighed. "I don't know." I responded. "I mean, what if something bad happens?" I asked worriedly.

Nicholas laughed. "Nothing bad will happen. What could possibly go wrong?"

My phone beeped, signaling a text. I pulled it out and read the message from Daisy:

**Hey, Ryan's taking me home. CU L8R.**

I put my phone away as we approached my car. "Well, we're here. I should probably drive Poppy home before she has a meltdown." I said.

Nicholas chuckled and pulled me in for a quick good-bye kiss. "See ya, love." He said, pulling away. He turned around and walked back towards the mortuary. I bit my lip and turn to the car, pulling the door open, to see Poppy sitting in the driver's seat.

"I'm driving home." She said coldly, yanking the door closed from my grasp. I sighed and walked around to get inside.

I plopped down in the seat, closed the door and buckled as Poppy drove the car out of the lot and onto the highway.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, but I just couldn't take it.

"What's your problem?" I blurted.

Her eyes darted from the road, to me, and back to the road. "Why do you think?" She asked sourly.

I bit my tongue. I knew exactly why she was upset.

"I'm sorry." I sighed.

"Don't be. I don't want your pity." She snapped. We drove the rest of the way home in silence.

After Poppy parked the car, we headed inside. Mom and Dad weren't home yet, because they texted me saying they were going on a date to some restaurant in San Carlos. Which meant we would be relying on Daisy's cooking skills for he night.

Ryan's car was in the driveway, so thankfully she was home. As we walked into the house, he walked out. It didn't escaped my notice that his hair was a little more mussed up than usual.

I made my way into the kitchen.

"I got mom's text; I'm making Tortellini." She said, leaning over the counter to grab a pot.

"I'll be up in my room, so call me when it's done." Poppy said.

"Kay." Daisy called as Poppy disappeared up the stairs.

I hopped up onto the counter next to my little sister. "I feel bad for her." I said.

"Don't be." She said, looking up at me. Her lips were red, as if recently kissed.

An amused smile came onto my lips. "Exactly how long have you been home?" I asked with a giggle.

Daisy blushed and went about pouring the tortellini into the broth-filled pot.

I hopped down and wandered upstairs to my room to do some homework. I cracked open a book and began to read. I got so absorbed, it seemed only like a few minutes later, Daisy came up to get me to eat.

I jumped off my bed and joined her at the door. "Did you get Poppy?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'll get her." She said. She turned around and walked a bit down the hall, pausing at Poppy's door.

I approached the stairs, then turned around and ran down the hall to ask Daisy where the bread was, just in time to watch her push open Poppy's door.

"Poppy? Dinner." She called. Poppy, who had her back to us, writing in her diary, jumped up in surprise, her pink diary falling to the floor.

But she just kept going up…and up…and up. Her yelp of surprise turned into a caw. Feathers grew out of every pore on her body, which seemed to be shrinking, until in Poppy's place, was a small, white dove.

**A/N: Um, well, yeah, I guess I'll end it there. Haven't updated in a while, so…**

**ANYHOO, please take your time to review, and if anyone has written or thought about writing any fan fiction for the Dead Is series fan fiction, then post it, please! We definitely need more fics in this category.**

**OH, and things start picking up next chapter!**

**So, until we meet again! =)**

**Read on and Rock out,**

**NinjaNakkiOfCabin11**


	5. Confrontations

**A/N: I challenge you! Yeah, that's right, I challenge you- to write a review on the following chapter! If you don't I guess that makes you WEAK…..**

**Huh. Yeah. I know you can't resist. I couldn't if I tried.**

**Thing start picking up in this chapter, and we have a FIGHT soon! =) But the fight's not in this chapter...  
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**I don't own Dead Is.**

"Poppy! Poppy Yvette, _get back here_!" I shouted at my sister's back. "I'm serious!"

Daisy was right next to me. She looked oddly calm.

After a few squawks and tumbles, Poppy had finally managed to shift back into her human form. Where she promptly burst into tears. And pushed past us and out the back door.

Now, we were chasing her in our backyard. She was headed for the woods, which lined the back of our 1 acre backyard. The thought somewhat scared, because I knew how frightening the Nightshade woods can be.

Suddenly, Poppy stopped, jerking backward violently, like she had just ran into a barrier. With a yelp, she stumbled backward, but managed to regain her footing.

Then, without warning, she shot backwards again, but this time, like someone had grabbed her arm and began to run towards us. She skittered to a stop right in front of us.

"What the Hell?" She exclaimed, her face red and puffy from crying and anger.

"Sorry." Daisy muttered sheepishly. I stared at her. She _moved_ Poppy with telekinesis?

"Don't be! _I don't want this!_" She began to cry again.

"Why not?" I asked, getting a bit angry. I understood why she was upset, but there were a _million_ better ways to handle it.

"Because! All of this is so stupid! I hate this! My life was perfectly fine! Now it's all screwed up, and I just _hate_ this!" She seethed, throwing her hands into the air in frustration.

"You're not the only one who's life is screwed up, you know!" I snapped back. She blinked like she'd been slapped.

"I know, but none of you are…you know…ugh!" She stamped her foot like an impatient toddler and turned around to walk away.

"She just doesn't want to be a shifter because she's dating a vampire."

My jaw almost hit the floor as I turned to my little sister, who'd been silent the entire time. I nudged her, but it was too late.

Poppy whirled around so fast, she was like a blur. The smack hit Daisy's face on her right cheek, making her head snap to the side. Before I even had time to react, Daisy doubled up her fist and planted a punch smack in the middle of Poppy's stomach. She folded over with an "Oomph!"

"Stop it!" I screeched unnecessarily. Daisy was only standing, watching Poppy intently, curling and uncurling her fist. Her face was impassive.

"I don't do the sissy-fight slaps." She spoke, even and controlled. Her cheek was bright pink. Then she turned around and walked back towards the house.

Poppy straightened and looked me in the eye. "What are you going to do?" Before I could ask whether she was talking about her little slap-then-punch, or the shifting thing, she pushed past me and trudged back to the house.

I woke up to the doorbell being rung repeatedly instead of the normal Alice Cooper from my alarm clock.

I stared at the ceiling, praying whoever it was would go away. Apparently, my parents must've had the same idea, as did Daisy, because the person at the door just continued ringing the bell. Which left me to answer the door, seeing as Poppy had already left for work at the Boardwalk. I threw off the covers and padded to my door only to hear it being pushed open. I heard Daisy's voice talking low to whoever was at the door. It was silent for a moment or two, then the I heard the door close. Before long, I heard a car start up and drive away.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before descending downstairs. "Who was that?" No answer. "Daisy? Who was that?" Nothing. I turned to the fridge and saw a note hastily scrawled in my sisters handwriting stuck to the door.

_**Went out. Be back Later.**_

_**-Daisy**_

I sighed again and pulled open the fridge, caving in to my growling stomach. I pulled out a plastic bag with a couple of pieces of pizza from my lunch yesterday. I pulled out and piece and chewed thoughtfully, wondering who was at the door. For some reason, a troubling sense lingered in the back of my mind. I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick text to Daisy, asking where she went.

I waited for a few minutes before accepting that she wasn't going to reply. I set my phone down on the counter and went upstairs to change into some sweatpants and put on a sweatshirt over my tank top. I pulled on some Uggs and threw my hair into a sloppy ponytail as I went back downstairs. I grabbed the other piece of pizza and put my phone in my pocket before snatching the keys off of the counter and making my way outside to the car.

I hummed to myself as I unlocked the door and slid into the front seat. I sent off another text, only this time, to Nicholas. I asked if he was up yet, and if he could meet me at Poland Park, a cute little park on the outskirts of town.

His reply came immediately. He would meet me in half-an-hour.

I turned in the engine and slowly backed out of the drive. As I drove along to Slim's, I wondered who was at the door. _Probably Ryan. _I thought. Well, actually, that was _half_-likely. I remember he and Sean used to scale the side of the house and come in through Daisy's bedroom window. If he had wanted to talk to her so bad that he rang the bell a million times, probably waking up my dad, then he probably would've just climbed in through the window.

I pulled into Slim's and as soon as I walked through the door, the smell of fried dough and powdered sugar pelted my nose. I looked up at the board; it said TODAY'S SPECIAL: FUNNEL CAKES, 2.50!

I eagerly walked up to the register to place a to-go order. As I waited in line, I looked around, noticing that there was a good amount of people here for breakfast. Flo was scurrying around, taking orders and delivering food as fast as she could.

She caught sight of me as she rushed over to the spinny-order-wheel-thingy to put someone's order up. "Where's your sister?" She asked. She was scowling a bit, and she sounded irritated.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Sorry, I didn't know she had to work today. Someone came and got her this morning, about 45 minutes ago. I don't know where she is, though." I responded.

With a sigh, Flo raced off to deliver someone's stack of pancakes.

Natalie was working the register. She looked kind of flustered, and I inferred that she must not normally help out around Slim's- it was never needed, always taken care of by the Staff of three- Slim, Flo, and Daisy.

"I'm sorry for the wait, Rose. I just don't know how to work this." Natalie sounded near-hysteria.

"You're doing fine." I assured her. I placed an order for two Funnel Cakes and two large coffees. The leftover pizza just wasn't enough.

A few minutes later, I received my breakfast and headed down to Poland Park.

Nicholas was already there, absorbed in a novel, sitting under a large, shady oak tree.

"Hey!" I called cheerfully. I waved at him, holding the brown paper carry-out bag.

He broke into a grin and jogged over to me. He enveloped me into a giant hug and gave me a quick, Good-Morning kiss. "Funnel cakes?" He asked, sniffing the air. I smiled.

"And coffee." I nodded. He carried the coffee and we walked back over to where was previously sitting.

Immediately, we both started eating our Funnel Cakes. They were fresh and warm, right out of the fryer. I let out an appreciative moan.

Nicholas grinned at me. "You have some powdered sugar on your lips." He swooped in and kissed me. "Got it." He murmured against my skin.

I reacted instantly, pulling my arms around him, pulling him closer. A few minutes later, a wandering thought popped into my head and I remembered why I'd came. I pulled away, giggling at the disappointment in his face.

"I have to talk to you." I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Poppy shifted." I said casually, licking some powdered sugar off my thumb.

He froze next to me. "When? Where? What happened? Into what? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" He pelted me with questions.

"Slow down!" I laughed. "One at a time!"

"Sorry." He muttered. "It's just, I really wanna know. It's kind of important."

"I know." I sighed. "Just last night, in her room. We startled her, and next thing we knew, Poppy was a dove. And sorry, it was just kind of a lot to process." I shrugged.

"A _dove?_" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm sorry, Rose, but I gotta go call my dad. The Council has to know. I'll be right back." He said, excusing himself to make a phone call.

As he paced the hilltop behind me, jabbering to his dad, I sighed and leaned back into the tree trunk.

As I stared off into the distance, a small thought squeaked into my mind:

_He's going to hurt me._

I let out a yelp and covered my mouth. Where had _that_ come from? That certainly didn't belong to me. Apparently, whatever it was, it was important enough to slither into my mind.

"What's up?" Nicholas said suddenly. I spun around quickly to see him off the phone, staring at me worriedly.

"N-nothing." I stammered.

"Rose, you know you can tell me anything." He murmured, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Yeah." I let out a breath. " 'He's going to hurt me.'"

"What?"

"That's what I heard. In my mind. It wasn't my thought, but someone must have thought it. I don't know." I admitted.

He inspected my face. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked finally.

"What? Yes!" I said, getting angry. "I'm not imagining things!"

"Okay, well, do you know who it might be?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously not, Nicholas." I sighed again. "Sorry."

"S'alright. You're snippy when you're mad. It's fine." He took my hand and swung it. "My dad wants to talk to Poppy. And you." He said.

"Why me?" I asked, pulling a face.

"Well, you were there when Poppy first shifted." He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So was Daisy." I said, confused.

"Oh." He looked surprised. "Well, then, her too." He sat back down and stuffed the rest of his funnel cake into his mouth.

I laughed at his antics and joined him. "When?"

"Later today, before the Council meeting tonight. About 6:30-ish."

"Done." I said, kissing the powdered sugar from his lips.

**A/N: So, I'm SOOOOO sorry for not updating sooner! I've been busy, and my Muse for this story switched roles with another Muse for another story. Sorry. =(**

**In response to the anonymous reviewer Me: You have every right to be mad at me for not updating in forever. But I assure you, I am NOT abandoning this story. As for your first review:**

**The werewolf girl from book 2 is Elise Wilder. Yeah, she's a werewolf- but shifters and werewolves are actually two different things. The Wilder family is a powerful shifting family, and in the second book, Elise's cousin is killed. Remember when Daisy asked why he didn't just shift and run away from his attacker? I don't remember who said it, but the quote is "He shifted into a rabbit. Which made for interesting family reunions, as everyone else in the Wilder family shifts into a predator." So shifters can shift into any animal- even doves. =) I hope that cleared everything up a bit. I've inspected this from every angles, just to make sure it was enjoyable for the lovely readers.**

**Please review? Remember my challenge…;)**

**Au revior, little biscuits!**

**Read on and Rock out,**

**NinjaNakkiOfCabin11**


	6. Author's Note (sorry)

**Entirely Overdue Author's Note in Which I Beg for Your Forgiveness and Grovel at Your Feet For Help:**

Hey guys, long time no see, eh? It's been YEARS. Like, literally years. And now I'm back. I am so, SO freaking sorry for leaving you guys like I did. Please, please forgive me? And I really, really want to continue this story:)

But, see, the problem is, I don't remember what direction this story was going to take. I don't remember any of the details or any of my ideas. Also, I don't even know if people still READ this, or even LIKE it. I'll be honest, I've reread this stuff, and JESUS. CRINGING ALL OVER THE PLACE. Some of this is really, really bad. But some of it's good. And I'm pretty sure all of my old friends and readers aren't active anymore:(

But I'm willing to give this another try, yeah? Because if you ARE still around, you guys at least deserve a little bit of closure. So here are your options:

1. I do NOTHING with this story. I leave it be, as it is now, and just don't touch it anymore. I can leave it alone and you guys can just draw your own conclusion(s) for it.

2. I rewrite. I'll try to salvage the good parts, and I'll keep the main idea….I'll just rewrite and execute it better. Again, THE CENTRAL IDEA WILL REMAIN THE SAME. Same plot, same characters, better writing.

3. I DON'T rewrite the already existing chapters, just leave them be, and then add on new chapters with better writing. I'll just continue on with the story as if I never even left.

4. Maybe just delete the damn thing. I dunno.

And that's that. So. I'm really, really glad to be back. So even if you DON'T like this story, please drop me a review or a PM with which option you think I should take and/or any ideas you may have concerning the story. This note has been posted on almost ALL of my stories, with the exception of a few that are either complete or that I already know what I'm doing with. If that sentence even made sense. Whatever. But on most of my stories, I need your help. Tell me what direction I should take, 1, 2, or 3. Or even 4.

Thank you guys sooo much for sticking by if you have, or for reading if you're new. I love you guys so much. SO MUCH.

Read on and Rock out,

NinjaNakkiOfCabin11


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